Purple Haze
by heartofsteele
Summary: Donatello comes face to face with an amazing techie girl he met online when he and his brothers save her from a group of men, and he finds himself drawn to Cassidy, a girl who isn't scared off by his true nature, but rather, quite intrigued by it. Rated for violence, language, and some sexual situations (that may go deeper in future chapters).
1. Rooftop Epiphanies

Chapter 1: Rooftop Epiphanies

"C'mon, m'lady. You have to trust me. An ambush is exactly what we need." A purple ombre-haired girl stared at her screen with a small grin, hearing the cute, nerdy voice on the other side of the messenger service. Their video screens were never on with each other, but that was at her dear gamer friend's request. Hey, she was fine with that! Cassidy didn't need anyone looking at her face online. The two of them had been talking and playing World of Warcraft together for three months now. It had started off slow, but now they played and spoke everyday. She felt like she knew him, even if she couldn't see him.

"I do, m'lord," she laughed a little as she pressed the enter button and began the attack on the computer-generated ghouls, leading the way with her Night Elf huntress. A few moments later, as she focused on her kill strikes, a shaman came running ahead of her and spoke a powerful spell that felled the rest of the evil creatures.

"Yes!" they both cried joyfully. She did a happy dance in her seat before sighing and leaning back.

"We did it!" she smiled softly. She heard keyboard clicks on the other side, and then loud voices in the background.

"Yeah, we did. Thanks for the distracting assist," the young man on the other side answered her with a contented sigh. In response, she put her head on her hand and stared into space. She could listen to him speak all day. And sometimes, she did. They could sit and talk tech for hours on end, until he had to leave unexpectedly. Though, she was now beginning to get used to it.

"No, thank you! This was fun, as always!" she responded giddily. "I'm glad I finally found someone to play WoW with who is actually decent."

"DONNIE, c'mon! April is waiting!" she heard a gruff male voice in the background of her team mate's computer and raised a brow, pulling her hair back.

"DONNIE!"

"Jeez, Raph! Don't get your bandana in a wad! I'm comin'! Cass, I've gotta go. Will you be on later?"

"I hope so," she smiled at her messenger screen, though she knew he couldn't see her. It was a bit disappointing that she couldn't see him. He seemed like a really sweet and clever guy.

"Okay, Cassidy! I'll be back in awhile!" Even though she couldn't see him, she could hear the grin in his voice and felt her heart skip a beat at the second mention of her name. She laughed and shook her head after he signed off, and she stood up to stretch. The young teenager left her room and headed downstairs to grab some dinner. However, when she reached the living room and saw her drunkard father asleep on his chair next to the TV, she bit back a growl of frustration.

"I'll go out and grab dinner, then," she muttered to herself, snatching her coat from the coat rack, grabbing her purse with her keys, and leaving, heading into the crisp night time New York City air. She walked with purpose, wanting to grab dinner and head back home to read some of her new book and hopefully talk to Donnie again before bed.

"Hey there, hot stuff." She tensed up at the male voice coming from the shadows, wondering whether or not to turn back and head home. She didn't even look over but kept on walking, choosing to ignore her ex-boyfriend. She had a restraining order against him, but he didn't seem to be honoring it. He jogged ahead of her and blocked her path, and she reached into her purse for her pepper spray. She always carried it with her.

"Leave me alone. You have a court ordered restraining order, you sick bastard," she warned, her eyes narrowing cautiously. He put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Aww, Cassidy...I'm just wanting to talk...c'mon...talk to me, Cass..." Yet, as he talked, three more guys stepped over to where they were standing. She glanced at each of them, trying not to appear scared. She made her decision quick just as one of them grabbed her. Her hand gripped the bottle and ripped it out of her purse, spraying the first face she could, kicking one of the guys in the shin, and booking it down the alleyway, which she prayed was a shortcut. Cassidy heard cursing and then quick footsteps as they chased her, and her speed increased with her panic.

"Help!" she tried to scream just in case anyone was around to hear her. As she ran, no one came to her aid, and her hopes of getting out of this unharmed were dropping. She thanked her mother for enrolling her in track when she did, as she was able to run without running out of breath for a little while.

"Give it up!" she heard taunting behind her but never gave in, seeing a ladder ahead of her and deciding to climb upwards. Maybe if the guys were as drunk as she hoped they were, they wouldn't be able to climb as fast. She snatched the ladder and ascended up the rungs, screaming as a hand yanked her ankle and twisted it painfully. She held onto the ladder for support, tears of pain in her eyes, and lashed out with her free foot, feeling it connect with her attacker's nose. He released her, and she immediately continued to climb. About two minutes later, she was on top of the building and panting, finally out of breath and freaking out. The men were still climbing. She regretted her decision to come up here, as she now had no escape, and the men were not as drunk as she had first believed.

"Hey, bitch!" she spun around to see one of them coming at her and backed up, shaking her head.

"Go away..." she spoke, her voice catching in her throat from fear. He smirked at her and kept walking. "Leave me alone! Someone help me!" Her back struck a pole behind her, and before she could move, the man's hand closed around her throat. He pushed her forcefully back against the pole, and black dots danced in her vision. Her fingers clawed at his hand as she struggled to breathe past his crushing of her windpipe.

"Hold her still," the second man was holding his bloody nose, glowering at her. She tried to headbutt the man in front of her and started to kick. He pulled something out of his pocket and held a knife to her throat. Cassidy began to cry, moving away from grabbing hands, and they laughed.

"If you didn't want attention, Cassidy, you shouldn't have dyed your hair crazy colors and walked around alone at night, especially dressed in that pair of jeans. It screams desperation," her ex growled as he hit her across the cheek. The pain around her throat lessened, and she cried out as his hands found her jacket and began to yank it off of her.

"She screams desperation? She screamed for help. If you want a definition of desperation and stupidity, look in the mirror," A deep and threatening voice spoke behind them.

"You don't touch women like that, scumbag. You made a huge mistake," another voice boomed from the opposite side of the roof. They didn't even have time to turn around before chaos erupted. A large wooden stick stretched out and slammed into her ex's side, sending him flying across the rooftop. The knife left her throat, and she collapsed to her shaking knees, unable to support herself any longer. A kind face appeared in her vision, and she could only stare at the face of a giant turtle.

"What the-?" she was startled.

"Get behind that wood pile. Go!" the green creature urged her gently, touching her shoulder with his hand as his other held a long sword. A blue mask covered the top part of his face, and she swallowed hard but nodded at him, half crawling and half limping to safety. She turned herself around to watch the scene, and she gaped with both terror and awe as three more of the enormous creatures appeared and began to throw and kick around her attackers.

"Yeah, boyyy! Nice shot Donnie!" The turtle with the orange mask hollered as the other one pushed that same stick into the ground and used it as leverage to propel himself into the air and body slam one of the men. Her eyes followed him, her mouth going dry in an instant.

"Donnie?" she whispered to herself, feeling a tightness in her chest as the conversations on her computer from earlier rushed through her mind. A few moments later, as the red-masked and largest of them finished knocking the last man unconscious, she felt her head spinning and had to put her head between her legs to keep from passing out. She felt a hand on her shoulder again and looked up after a long moment of heavy breathing. Gorgeous and concerned eyes the color of moss stared back into hers from behind a purple mask and a set of taped up glasses.

_Oh, God...the username plumtechiemonster makes sense now..._she thought to herself.

"Just breathe. You'll be okay soon. Trust me," he soothed her, and she listened to his voice, hanging onto every word. Somehow, she couldn't help but to

"D-Donnie?" she asked in a hesitant whisper. "I do..." He gazed back at her, his own recognition of her voice starting to show in his expression.

"They called you Cassidy...you can't be..." he blinked a few times, pushing up his glasses nervously as his hold on her tightened and he moved closer. "Oh, God...Are you all right?" He noticed that she was looking at him with an unidentifiable expression, and his own face fell, though he couldn't bring himself to let go of her yet.

"You...you're..." she tried to find the right words, but he thought the worst.

_No...she's going to flip out and call me a freak..this is why I didn't want her to see me...no no..._his eyes dropped from hers, downcast and already rejected.

"You're a ninja?! I was wondering how you could be so frickin' epic at WoW!" she hit his arm once, glaring at him. "That's kind of cheating, dingbat! No fair!"

"Wait...what?" his mouth dropped open like a fish. He was floored. Not one word came out of her mouth about the fact that he was a turtle.

"Woah, bro...You know this chick?" Mikey asked as he jumped down in front of her and stared at her for a moment. "She's hot!" Donatello glared at him and shoved him away from her before Raphael and Leonardo came to join them by her side.

"Are you okay?" Leo bent down and asked her, his voice worried but his eyes wary of her. She was a stranger, after all. She tried to stand up to prove that she was all right, but her knees wobbled, and she fell to the ground. Donnie took hold of her again out of instinct, glancing her over for any other damage.

"My ankle is killing me," she responded with a gasp of pain, holding it. Donnie's hand moved from her shoulder to the bruise on her cheek, and she winced away from him when his green skin made contact with her soft beige flesh, but it wasn't from disgust. Both of them looked into each other's faces, and she saw his Adam's apple bob once as he eyed her purple hair with fascination. Her eyes glanced over his skin, noting the way it rippled with every movement, and she wasn't scared. Okay, so her internet friend turned out to be a muscled, turtle-humanoid creature with a massive shell on his back and amazing martial arts skills? Why not...there were crazier things, right? He was actually pretty damn cute looking at him like this. She must have hit her head pretty hard...

"You're a shaman in real life," she whispered to him, and he smirked in response.

"Nah. I wish I was...I'm more of a paladin," he responded, releasing her with a soft smile. He leaned over to inspect her ankle, pausing when the scents of her overwhelmed his head. She smelled of vanilla mixed with flowers, and he almost took a deep inhale until he realized that he also smelled fear, and so he stopped himself to continue with her ankle. She was still shaken up about what had just happened.

"We need to move..." Raph grumbled low in his chest, folding his arms as he stared down at her.

"Her ankle looks twisted...she may not be able to walk on it..." Donnie reported to his brothers with an uneasy stare.

"Then we'll make an anonymous call to the police," Raph suggested, but Leo glared at him and shook his head in warning.

"We don't just leave people who need us. Does she look threatening to you?" he told his younger brother, gesturing to the wounded and scared teenager. Raph grunted in response and shook his head.

"We'll take care of you. It's okay...those guys won't be touching you ever again," Donnie promised his wonderfully beautiful friend, who looked up at him and then over at the small pile of unconscious men. And then, gazing back at his fierce and protective stare, she knew that he meant every word.


	2. Diagnoses and Introductions

Chapter 2: Diagnoses and Introductions

The turtles moved quickly, even with the extra baggage. Donnie held Cassidy, having already tucked his bo staff back into his pack. She was slung forwards over his shoulder in order to keep one arm free. She watched Mikey moving next to them, laughing every time he winked or made a face.

"Is he always like this?" she asked Donnie. He wrinkled his nose and nodded as they all paused to take a breather.

"Aww, c'mon," Mikey put his hand out to her. "Who doesn't want a piece of this shell?"

"April," Raphael glanced back, chuckling. Mikey dropped his hand to his side.

"That's just wrong, bruh," he answered. "By the way, I had called dibs!"

"I can't help that. She seems to go for bigger and badder," Raph shrugged with a smile.

"And ruder," Mikey's eyes narrowed. Raphael began to move towards him until Cassidy's voice stopped him.

"Oh, so April is his girlfriend?" Cassidy inquired, gesturing to Raphael. He turned as red as his mask, glaring down at his hands.

"He wishes," Donnie told her.

"Who are we kidding? I think they both wish that," Leo spoke up, laughing. Cassidy's brow furrowed.

"I don't get it. If they want to be together, then why can't they be?" she asked. Donnie looked at his brothers, who all frowned except for Mikey, who folded his arms and nodded with a smirk as if to say, "She gets it."

"Because she's a human...and we're not," Donnie stated simply, his expression grim. Cassidy's smile fell as she went silent, her thoughts jumbled and confused. They all began to move again, and she held on tighter to Donnie. He smiled back at her as they moved, the gap in his teeth showing, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Leo, where are we taking her?" Donnie yelled to the leader who was up ahead.

"We're taking her home," he replied, making Donnie tense up.

"Those men knew her. What if her home isn't safe?" he retorted, glancing sideways at her.

"Cassidy, is your home safe to bring you back to?" Leo asked her, and she shrugged.

"That was my ex-boyfriend and I guess some friends of his..." she told them, frowning. "And my dad's always passed out drunk on the couch, so he wouldn't notice four giant turtles even if they were in front of his nose." Donnie's heart ached for her as Leo stopped to look back at her.

"Your dad is a drunk?" he wanted to know, his expression softening. Cassidy nodded, tightening her jaw.

"Ever since my mom died two years ago. It's his coping mechanism," she admitted. Leo's expression looked like he was at war with himself, and she watched him.

"How'd she die?" Donnie asked her softly, placing his hand over hers comfortingly.

"There was a fire. She got me out in time and went back in for a friend of hers...and she never came out," she sighed with sadness, and he swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry," the purple-masked turtle said.

"Thank you," she nodded once, unable to say more. Leo turned direction and began to move, making a gesture in the air for the others to follow him.

"Leo...this is the way to the lair..." Raph's voice was a warning.

"Thank you, genius...I know that," their leader told him sarcastically.

"What are you doing? Bleeding hearts?" This time, Raphael's voice was quieter and right next to him. Leo glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm helping her...WE are helping her. She has a hurt ankle, was just attacked by a group of men who would've done who knows what, and is about to go home to a drunk. Do you propose we just leave the girl that Donnie has been talking about for months to a drunk man and a psycho ex?" Raphael thought about it for a moment and then grunted in agreement. Leo's brow raised as they increased their speed.

"Wow, dude...April has turned you into a soft shell," Leo teased. Raphael growled at him, his green color turning pink, and he sped up.

"Last one to the lair buys the pizza," he challenged his brothers, changing the subject. Donnie held tight to Cassidy and began to run, not wanting to come in last. She laughed as they practically flew, and she felt her hair whipping around.

"Lair?" Donnie realized what his older brother had said. Leo smiled back at him but kept running. They finally arrived to the entrance of the sewers and Donnie maneuvered Cassidy quickly in his arms until he was holding her under her knees and behind her back. She grabbed on around his neck to keep from falling out of instinct, and then she glanced at him. He was turning slightly pink and avoiding her gaze as he jumped into the sewer. She squeaked and clutched onto him tightly, feeling them hit the water and sliding downwards. Mikey hollered ahead of them, and Raphael tried to get around all of them. It wasn't an easy task though. Cassidy looked around her and then back at Donnie, who finally met her gaze. His eyes softened behind his glasses, and his pulse sped up. Her arms tightened their hold around him slightly as they pushed down through the water.

"Damn..." he muttered under his breath. He glanced at her, and she was staring at him quizzically, though she looked slightly out of breath. "Uhm...You okay?" he asked hastily. She nodded at him, her wet purple hair clinging to the sides of her face. He used a finger to brush the pieces back from her eyes, and he saw her swallow hard once. His gaze roamed across her face, and he noticed her precious freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks.

"Yeah," she responded, trying not to let him feel her racing heart. "So...is Donnie short for anything?"

"Donatello," he smiled kindly at her. She felt her lips curve upwards into a smile.

"Donatello," she repeated softly. He realized that he loved hearing his name when she said it. Nodding, he grabbed her tight as they hit the end of the line and leapt through the air. She gasped in surprise and grasped his arms, closing her eyes.

"Hey it's all right," he calmed her, shaking her gently. She reopened her eyes to see all four turtles standing there staring at her. "We've done this plenty of times." He reluctantly set her down, and she released her tighter hold on him, looking slightly disappointed. He already missed the warmth of holding her. Leo led the way into their home, and the others followed. Donnie offered her his arm, clearing his throat and bowing with a smirk.

"My lady?" Cassidy laughed, and Donnie sighed. Her laughter was music to his ears.

"Milord," she curtsied and took his arm, allowing him to bring her into his home with him. She limped alongside him, the pain in her ankle flaming back up, and she grimaced.

"And what are your brothers' names?" she asked him, trying to keep her mind off of the pain.

"Leonardo's our leader, the one in blue. Red and always angry is Raphael. Our resident emcee and ladies' man...in his own mind, at least...is Michelangelo, or Mikey," Donnie introduced his brothers, pointing to each one respectively. She nodded with a grin and then blinked.

"Wait...your names..."

"Yeah, I know...we're named after Italian Renaissance painters..." he finished her sentence with a chuckle. "We've heard that one before..."

"Well...I was going to say that your names are unique and pretty epic...but now looking back, yeah...you are named after painters...that's cool!" Donnie stopped and stared at her, his look shocked. "What?"

"Every time you open your mouth, you surprise me, he replied, awestruck. She glanced down and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh...sorry," she apologized as they began to walk again.

"Don't be. It's refreshing," he said encouragingly, looking around. She smiled sideways at him and leaned in a bit closer as they walked together. Without being caught, he finally got to take a deep breath and inhale her scent. She was overwhelming his senses, and he closed his eyes tight for a moment. There was no fear anymore, so all he could smell was a rich type of flower and a warm vanilla that was probably either from a bath or her perfume. Either way, it smelled divine on her. His shell tightened slightly, and he had to mentally slap himself.

"Donnie," Leo's voice saved him, and he looked over at his older brother, who was waving them over. He brought Cassidy with him, and they all stood in a circle. Raphael was putting away the weapons nearby, and Mikey was busy dodging his fists after having teased him about April again. Raphael walked back over, folding his bulky arms and staring at the girl with purple hair. Mikey moved around to her other side, draping an arm around her. She smiled over at him, knowing he was just playing around. Donnie rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he didn't try to push his younger brother away this time.

"Guys, let me officially introduce you to Cassidy," he spoke up, looking at her with a sweet smile.

"Okay, let me get this straight...Leo the Leader, Raging Raphael, and MC Mikey?" she glanced at each of them, and they stared back with wide eyes.

"She's got it," Mikey patted her shoulder.

"That's a good way to remember," Leo agreed with a smile. "Now, we need to tell our father that you're here...don't freak out when you see him..."

"Uhm...Leo...I was just saved by rapists by four turtles who are larger than 6 feet tall, and you guys can hold conversations with me...what makes you think I would freak out about your dad?" She blinked at him, raising her eyebrows and laughing a bit.

"Touche," he laughed along with her before moving into the next room. "Master? We have someone for you to meet." Cassidy followed him into the room and halted, gazing up in curiosity at the large mutated rat standing in front of her. He stared right back at her, his eyes calculating but not cruel.

"And why do we have this visitor?" he asked Leo firmly, who pointed at Donnie.

"Way to be a leader," Raphael scoffed. "Blaming the nerd."

"I had to bring her here, Father," Donnie answered, stepping forward. "There were men who attacked her. And we couldn't bring her home to a drunk dad, who wouldn't help her when she needed the help." Splinter walked up to her and took her hand in his paw.

"What is your name?" he asked her politely.

"Cassidy," she greeted, watching his ears perk up as he glanced at Donnie with a smile appearing on his face.

"Cassidy..." he mimicked, still watching his son, who looked at him sheepishly. "Now I understand." He turned back to the teenage girl. "Welcome to our home..." The four brothers stared at him in amazement before Donnie gathered himself and nodded at her, bringing her over to a chair.

"Let me look at your ankle," he said, sitting in the chair next to her. The other three turtles plopped themselves down around them. She let him take off her shoe and pull up her jeans a bit til he could reach her ankle. When he touched the skin there, he heard a noise from her and looked up.

"Does it hurt?" he asked instantly, nervous that he had hurt her.

"No...your hand is really warm...it was a bit surprising." Her eyes moved to where he was holding her ankle, and they both fell quiet as he began to touch in different areas to check where it hurt and exactly how much it hurt. He pressed down hard on one particular spot, and she yelped. He immediately stopped applying pressure and leaned in closer to take a better look at it.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she told him, waving off the apology. "I'll live."

"How dangerous is that ex of yours?" Raphael wanted to know, staring hard at her.

"I got a restraining order against him a while back. It was the first time he broke it," she informed them.

"Why did you get the restraining order?" Leo questioned. She glanced over at him sadly.

"He was not a good boyfriend. He didn't know the meaning of the word no." Raphael's body tensed up, and Leo's eyes narrowed dangerously. Mikey shook his head in disgust, and Donnie went rigid beside her. He took her chin in his hand and turned her to look at him, his eyes searching hers fiercely.

"Did he-?" he began.

"No..." she answered honestly. "He tried to, but I got away..." Donnie's entire body sagged in relief as his hand released her chin to smooth back her hair. The other brothers relaxed as well.

"Well, at least we don't have to kill him now," Raphael growled madly.

"That's one thing we don't tolerate...it's how Master raised us...he told us to always take care of women and to always respect them," Leo explained their sudden fury, and she nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad some guys do," she stated with bitter undertones, and she instinctively leaned her head into Donnie's hand. His eyes softened at the action. As soon as it happened, it was over, and he released her to work on her ankle again.

"It's a sprain..." he diagnosed with a stiff frown, nodding gratefully as Leo handed him some bandages to wrap it up. "You have to be careful walking on it, okay, Cass?" She shook her head up and down to acknowledge him.

"Thank you guys..." she addressed all of them appreciatively. "I owe you one."

"How about another World of Warcraft round" Donnie smirked at her. "This time, you can play here with me?" The female techie laughed and smiled right back at him.

"You've got yourself a deal."


	3. Turtle Tales

Author's Note: This took forever to update! I'm sorry, my loves! I hope I do the waiting justice with this chapter! Enjoy! And Cassidy is the only character I own!

Chapter 3: Turtle Tales

"Go for the weak spot in his armor!" Donnie exclaimed as he typed across his keyboard, his green eyes plastered to the screen. A few seconds later, his accomplice came swiping in with a longsword and sliced through the army waiting for her. "Careful...careful..." he warned as Cassidy pressed the buttons on his other laptop, her legs crossed Indian style and her focus on winning the battle.

"Get a little piece of that!" she smirked as she smoked a few skeletons and pumped her fist in the air. They had been playing for a few hours, neither willing to get up from the computers. Donnie enjoyed spending time with her, even if they were both in front of a screen. It was what he was used to, what he was comfortable with. And she seemed perfectly fine with that.

"Yes! We won!" Donnie leaned over and high-fived her, smiling from ear to ear. Her eyes were almost sparkling, and he stared for a long moment before his brother broke his eye contact.

"Donnie...She has to at least call her father, tell him that she's staying with a friend for a few days..." Leo spoke up logically, placing his hand on Donnie's shoulder.

"He wouldn't notice even if I did..." Cassidy replied, her eyes falling to her hands that dropped from the laptop. She closed it and set it on the table, glancing over to the eldest turtle and noticing the sad look of sympathy in his gaze as he watched her.

"I'm sorry," he finally answered quietly, nodding his head and turning around.

"Hey, Leo?" Cassidy stood up and limped over to him, and he turned back to face her patiently. "Thank you...thank you for saving me and letting me stay here...I really appreciate it. You didn't have to, but you took me in..." His face slowly spread into a kind smile as he bowed.

"I wasn't going to leave you out there to those perverts...we're much better than that," he stated. She bowed back, mimicking his movements. Leo leaned towards her and dropped his voice low. "Besides...Donnie talks so much about you...it's good to finally put a face to the name...and we're glad you're safe...Donnie would have been devastated if we had been any later to save you..." Cassidy's eyes widened as she stared back at the tech genius, who was trying to pull up something on his main frame. She vaguely felt Leo's hand on her shoulder for a minute as she kept her eyes trained on the other turtle.

"He..." she began to speak.

"Cares..." Leo finished for her, catching her tender gaze at Donnie before releasing her shoulder and smiling as he walked off past Raphael, who had April slung over his shoulder. When they couldn't go out to meet her, April was worried and came to meet them at the lair, where she proceeded to yell at them for a good fifteen minutes about thinking they were laying dead somewhere. However, all it took was one hug from Raphael, and her anger melted like an ice cream cone in the desert. Now, the two of them were wrestling. Well...April was trying to jump on him, and Raphael was easily throwing her around like a doll and making sure he didn't hurt her in the process.

"Let me go!" April squealed with a laugh, smacking the brute's chest with her fists. He shook his head with a smirk and bounced her on his shoulder, which prompted a groan from her. "I want to go talk to the new girl...please?" Raphael groaned at the puppy dog tone in her voice, knowing that she was going to get her way. He looked into her eyes and caved, setting her down and ruffling her hair. She smacked his arm and moved towards the pretty girl with the purple hair. She hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her since she got there.

"Hey there!" she began in a friendly tone.

"Oh, hey! You have to be April..." Cassidy smiled wide and put out her hand, which April shook gladly. "When they talked about you, I didn't know you were the same April from the news..." The older woman blushed softly and shrugged. "I watch you every day! Your segments made my uncle lose 30 pounds!"

"Well, I'm glad they help someone..." April mumbled with a sigh, and Raphael frowned when he overheard her. He walked over and nudged her with his elbow, his way of showing affection. She glanced at him and smiled appreciatively.

"April...don't think like that," he said, his voice as soft as he could make it. "They'll see your potential. You're a great reporter!"

"Thanks, Raph..." she sighed and nudged him back. His lips tweaked upwards without actually smiling as he moved over to the couch and sat down to watch television.

"He's right! Just find something meaningful to report on. Find a big story," Cassidy added. April couldn't help but smile as she heard Raphael's booming laughter from the couch. "What did I say?"

"I had a huge story...but I couldn't report on it..." April answered, joining in on Raphael's laughter. At Cassidy's look of utter confusion, April took her arm and led her over to the couch, sitting her down next to Raphael and taking a deep breath.

"This is the story of how I met the turtles..." The reporter began, and Cassidy's eyes widened with interest as she settled in for the tale, Raphael's attention riveted from the wrestling match on television to stare at the woman he was growing attached to. All of the other turtles and even Splinter came into the living room to listen in on what April had to say. Even though they all knew the story, had lived through it, it was fascinating hearing it from a storyteller's mouth. Without even thinking about it, Donnie sat at Cassidy's feet, his large shell resting back against her legs comfortably. Everyone sat transfixed as April wove this wonderful tale about seeing a large and wonderful creature with two daggers who saved her on the docks when she saw the Foot Clan, being taken hostage in a subway station but being saved by these four amazing vigilantes, and one of them was the same hero from the docks...how in the beginning she had been looking for that perfect story to be promoted to a real journalist position but that quickly dissipated when she found out the truth.

She spoke of insane and impossible things, of when people told her she was nuts for saying she saw turtles who were like humans. Her first meeting with the turtles was almost like an amazing dream, she said. Except for the parts where she fainted and Raphael threatened her. Any time Donnie heard Cassidy make a noise, he would glance back at her, and he noticed how invested in this story she was. His hand moved up onto the sofa, where he softly took her hand in his and held it. She looked down at him and squeezed his hand, keeping hold of it as they both looked back towards April. She was in the middle of talking about the lair attack, and the room grew somber. She hesitated and looked down at her hands, her eyes troubled.

"I take full responsibility for what happened that day..." she whispered to the family. "I know it was my fault that Sacks found the group. I should have been more careful, and I felt absolutely horrible. I still do. I almost cost Splinter his life...as well as all of the turtles..." Raphael stood and walked over to her, pulling her into his strong arms full of support. Donnie took advantage and came to sit next to Cassidy, still holding on to her hand and intertwining his large three fingers with her tiny five.

"It's okay, April..." Raphael murmured, his voice turning cold and angry. "Sacks and Shredder have a merciless brutality and determination...you had no way of knowing. I blamed you that day until I saw how far you were willing to go to help us and save us...you almost died trying to get Shredder's focus off of Leo on that roof..." April looked up at the turtle embracing her, and wiped away the tears that were starting to fall.

"Finish the story...for Cass..." Donnie requested, his body close to hers on the couch. Cassidy looked up at April with soft, inquisitive eyes that prompted her to nod and clear her throat. Raphael kept holding her to keep her calm, though Donnie suspected another, bigger reason.

"Yes...sorry...so after the lair was attacked, Raphael and I knew that we had no time to lose..." April launched back into her story, pulling everyone's attention back in. Cassidy's hand squeezed Donnie's tightly as April got to the part where they found Leo, Mikey, and him being drained of blood. Donnie looked at her, his eyes momentarily afraid as he remembered how he felt that day. She sank into his chest, her hands moving around him to hug him close, and he wrapped his arms around her. He instantly felt comforted by her being there, and he sighed deeply. He didn't even think about the fact that he was touching someone so close, let alone hugging her. He needed that comfort. He nodded for April to continue when she stopped to watch them, and she nodded, continuing with the snow chase.

"So...all of that was so those men could take over the world...they were willing to hurt innocents to do it..." Cassidy shook her head against Donnie's chest when April had finished a little while later. "It's cruel."

"That's Sacks and Shredder..." Leo answered her. "Those are two men you never want to come in contact with. They are truly evil. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want."

"She'll never come in contact with them," Donnie assured fiercely, his body suddenly tense and his voice growling. Leo stared in slight surprise at the change in his younger brother. He'd expect that from Raphael, but not from Donnie. He was such a kind and mellow guy that no one would ever suspect an angry side to him at all.

"I hope you don't, Cass," April included. "Sacks murdered my father in cold blood just because he knew too much..." Cassidy frowned grimly and nodded at the other woman.

"I'm so sorry," she answered understandingly. "I know why you didn't report on it now...I wouldn't have either..." She gave a warm smile to Donnie, who returned it. "So a hogosha is a protector spirit of sorts...April is your guardian?"

"Yes...she is..." Donnie nodded.

"So all of you are hogoshas to me, then..." Donnie was floored, his cheeks flushing as his mouth opened and closed.

"N-No...I-I'm...I'm not..." he stuttered, shaking his head profusely and giving himself a headache. Everyone else looked at her, and Splinter was smiling with kindness at the intelligent young woman.

"You are...you saved my life, Donnie...you turtles are my guardian spirits...like April is yours..." Cassidy replied simply, curling further into his chest. His arms instinctively tightened their hold on her.

"In...In that case...I'm not s-stopping...anytime soon..." he spoke haltingly into her hair. They were silent for a few moments before Leo nodded her head at Cassidy. Donnie braved a glance down at her and found the purple-haired girl asleep in his arms. He smiled at her, his heart fluttering, before looking back up at Leo.

"April's story must've tired her out," Leo smiled warmly at his hogosha, who was in the middle of a large yawn. "All of us, I guess..."

"I'll let her sleep in my bed...I'll take the couch..." Donnie was about to get up with the girl when Leo put up a hand to stop him.

"Nonsense...just sleep out here with her," Leo recommended. Donnie was about to object when he felt Cassidy's head push up under his. He sighed softly and nudged his head softly on top of hers. "See...you, stay..." Leo commanded gently with a smile.

"And I'll share with the big boy over here..." April joked as she smiled at Raphael, who immediately became a stammering and embarrassed mess. Mikey threw up his arm, telling her to pick him instead. "Relax...nothing will happen...he's too terrified that he'll squish me..."

"I'll...oh I'll give you a squishing you won't forget!" Raphael teased back as he swept her up into a tight embrace, walking the giggling woman into the turtles' bedroom. Mikey chased after them, huffing and rolling his eyes.

"C'mon, guys! We all have to sleep in there!" he whined, and Leo shook his head.

"She's right, though...he won't do anything...he's too terrified to make a move..." The leader cracked his knuckles.

"I think they both are..." Donnie agreed in a low whisper. "But at least Raphael is starting to warm up..."

"Get some sleep, little brother. I'll see you in the morning," Leo clapped him affectionately on the shoulder and walked into the bedroom, where the other three were all in a dog pile and playfully arguing about who gets what bed and where April would sleep. Leo sighed deeply and went to settle it.

"My son..." Splinter was finally alone with the genius. "You know we do not allow strangers to stay in the lair..." Donnie looked away with a grave expression, flinching and expecting the worst. Splinter watched him for a moment and the way Cassidy slept peacefully against his chest. He watched the way his son was holding her. The same son who didn't ever use physical contact or touching to show any kinds of affection or intimacy, even with his family. It warmed the rat's heart to see his son opening up. "However, seeing as how my conscience would not be clear to leave her to fend for herself while those men are still out there...I will allow her to stay here with us for as long as she needs to...I have a feeling that she won't be spilling our secret..." If Donnie wasn't scared that he'd wake up the sleeping beauty, he'd jump up and hug his father, which was not like him at all.

"Thank you, Father," he settled for an excited and grateful bow of his head, to which his Father bowed in return.

"Sleep well, Donatello." And with that, his father disappeared into his room to sleep, and Donnie was left alone to stare at Cassidy, brushing her hair the color of his mask away from her face. He smiled at it, glad that she chose his favorite color. This girl in his arms was not only okay with her internet friend being a gigantic turtle, but she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep against his chest on a couch. She trusted not only him, but his entire family, and that meant a lot to him. And so he watched over her for the next hour, his mind a whirling mess until his eyes finally drifted shut from exhaustion.


End file.
